Rise of a Champion
by LilOrchidJenny
Summary: All Little Mac has ever wanted was to be World Circuit Champion of the World Videogame Boxing Association. Determined and driven, that was the only thing in his heart. That is until the night he came across Elena Reed, saving the young woman from a mugger. Can the boxer brave life and become a champion? Or will he get KOed in the ring and in love? (Rated T for now).


** I saw a Punch Out tribute video about three years ago on YouTube (entitled: A Tribute to Punch-Out! (Wii) ) and it inspired me to start writing this fic.**

** Unfortunately life and other fanfics became more prominent and this story kind of got shoved to the wayside.**

** I came across it about a week ago and started working on it again. I hope you enjoy it. :) **

** PS - one more thing. I've changed Mac's age from 17 to 23 in this fic. You'll find out why later. -_O**

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Elena Reed looked up at the night sky, a wondrous smile on her lips. It was amazing standing there in the middle of Central Park, in the heart of New York City, and actually seeing a clear sky.

It was so vast, so open, with a million stars twinkling above her. Just the sight of it made her feel both blessed and humbled. Small in a way. Like she was just a tiny part of a bigger picture.

"Thinking up ideas for your next novel?"

The writer blinked her chocolate brown eyes, fixing her gaze on her agent, Douglas Richardson. He was watching her with a knowing look, gaze shrewd, and a hint of a smirk was dancing on his lips.

"No." Elena ducked her head, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear, "Just. . .giving thanks, I guess."

"For what?" her agent approached her, tipping up her chin so that she was forced to meet his eyes, "Elena, everything that's happening now is because of you. You've earned it. You deserve it."

The writer shied away from his touch, giving him a teasing smile, "Mainly I was just giving thanks that I didn't embarrass myself tonight."

Douglas chuckled, "You dazzled them, kiddo, and you know it."

He stepped closer to her, taking her hand in his and giving it a squeeze, "I've never seen anyone charm those old editors, society snobs and fat cat financiers quite like you did tonight."

Elena slipped her hand from his and turned, the green satin skirt of her dress making a 'swishing' sound. She pretended to ponder the night again, instead of really just trying to put some distance between herself and Douglas.

She liked him well enough. He was a wonderful agent. Not to mention he had gone above and beyond by taking a chance on a novice like herself.

She would never forget how he had jumped on her first novel, _Lone Road Home_, and went out of his way to get it sold to one of the top publishing companies in the country.

How he had pushed and prodded for her to leave her solitary life in a small town in Montana to come all the way to New York to meet with her editors, to do interviews and press and book signings, all to get her little novel out there in the public eye.

How he had fought tooth-and-nail to get her little book made into a movie, to be filmed right there in New York City.

Because of him her romance novel had become a complete success.

But no matter how much she owed him, she couldn't repay him how he wanted. IE - for her to start dating him.

She knew he liked her; was attracted to her. She had gotten that at their first face-to-face meeting. And she had to admit that she had been flattered by the attention. What woman wouldn't have been? Douglas was tall, handsome with neatly cut blonde hair, blue eyes and a dazzling smile. The perfect movie star good looks.

He was also charming, well read and knowledgeable about things such at Literature, the Arts and the Theater.

But, for her, it just wasn't there. She just couldn't put her finger on it. Something was missing. Some special. . .spark.  
Perhaps she was looking for something that didn't exist. Perhaps it was the impossible. Maybe it was just something regulated to love stories, like the one in her book.

All she knew was that, more than anything, she wanted it. And she wasn't going to find it in her agent.

She turned back to him, smiling, "You know I don't care about schmoozing. I just want to go see _Phantom of the Opera_."

Douglas threw back his head and laughed, "You come all the way to New York City and instead of being excited about advancing your writing career, all you care about is seeing some musical?"

"Hey." Elena objected teasingly, "It's not just _some musical_. It happens to be _the best _musical in the whole, wide world. Okay?"

"Forgive me." Douglas raised his hands in mock surrender, "Whatever was I thinking?"

Elena cast her eyes to the ground, giving an self-conscious laugh, "It's just always been my dream to see it, is all."

Her agent once again took her chin in his hand, tilting her face up as he gave her a tender smile and murmured, "Then, by all means, we must make sure you see it before you leave."

The writer swallowed, a little uneasy by the heated look in his eyes. She really hoped he didn't try to kiss her. He had been so wonderful to her, the last thing she wanted to do was hurt his feelings.

Why couldn't he see that she wasn't interested in a romantic relationship with him? Why couldn't he just understand?

"Well ain't this sweet."

The pair quickly turned around, fear beginning to course through Elena's body. Douglas immediately stepped in front of her in a bid to protect her.

Standing a few feet away, half hidden in the shadows, was a massive figure. He was decked out in all black, dark eyes locked on Elena and a leer on his lips. He had a sloping brow and his nose was flat, the man clearly having been in a few fights in his life.

"We don't want any trouble." Douglas stated, trying to make himself sound nonchalant but Elena could hear the undercurrent of uneasiness in his voice.

"Hey, neither do I." the thug expressed as he took a few steps towards the pair, "I just want yer money."

He gave Elena a long slow appraisal, earning another shiver from the young woman. His leer grew as he added, "And her."

Elena's eyes widened, her hand involuntarily going to Douglas' arm. The agent regarded the other man hatefully but said nothing.

The mugger made another move towards the pair and the writer could the agent tensing. She held her breath, terrified as she realized what Douglas was planning.

_Please don't do it, Doug_, she want to yell.

But she didn't get the chance to do anything as, when the man drew closer, Douglas launched himself at him. Bellowing, he charged at the other man and slammed his fist into the thug's jaw.

The mugger's head snapped to one side, Elena flinching at the impact of the hit. Slowly the thug turned back to Douglas.

And then he began to smile.

Before the agent could react the mugger drove his meaty fist into the other man's mouth. Elena cried out in alarm as Douglas grunted and fell to the ground with a 'thud'. He was unmoving and appeared to be out cold.

"Douglas!" she cried out in alarm, reaching for the fallen man.

Suddenly the mugger was between them, practically licking his chops as he looked her over eagerly.

"Come'ere, gorgeous." he muttered as he reached for her, "You and me are gonna have a good time."

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Jerome "Doc" Lewis kept a steady pace as he peddled his bicycle through the park that night. The robust African-American man glanced over his shoulder, a smile tugging at his lips as he spied the younger guy running behind him, keeping pace.

Wearing a pink jumpsuit-why he insisted on wearing that thing the older man would _never_ know-and his head down, the figure behind him seemed in the zone and unshakable. They had been out there for about an hour now and his protégé still didn't look winded.

Doc once again faced forward, pride welling up inside of him. The kid's big heart more than made up for his lack of size. In fact, he had more heart than any fighter Doc had ever trained before.

They continued on, making their way through the bike path. As Doc rounded a corner he came to a screeching halt, eyes locking in on something up ahead.

The man behind him started to run past him before also stopping. He turned back to the trainer, yanking his hood off of his head.

"Why'd you stop?" he questioned, brows knit in confusion.

Doc kept his gaze on something over the man's shoulder, his mouth turned down.

"Cause we've got company, Mac baby." he said evenly.

Mac turned around, eyes beginning to constrict as he took in the scene. A few feet away was a man laid out on the ground, his mouth bleeding.

The cause of it was a big bum with his meaty hand fastened around the small wrist of a pretty woman. She was struggling in vain to try and free herself, pleading for the chump to let her go.

Big and Ugly wasn't having it though as he laughed down at her and yanked her towards him.

"Hey!" Mac called out, anger beginning to flair up within him.

Both the thug and the girl turned in his direction. Her eyes were silently begging for help and it only made Mac's protective streak go up another notch.

The mugger snickered at the newly arrived pair, "Stay out of this, ya midget fairy. Take tubby with you and get out of here before you get hurt."

"Hey!" Doc called out, insulted, "Who you callin' 'tubby', ugly?"

The thug turned back to Elena, reaching out and stroking her cheek, "Yer really pretty, you know that?"

"Please let me go!" the writer pleaded, struggling to free herself. Her fear and irritation began to rise and, not thinking, she hauled off and kicked him in the shin.

"Ow!" the thug growled, shoving her to the ground, "Yer gonna pay for that!"

Elena cried out in pain as she hit the dirt and that seemed to flip a switch in Mac. The smaller man went racing towards the thug, fists up and at the ready.

Mac grabbed him by the sleeve and yanked him around, hammering him with a jab to the chin. The thug staggered back, eyes widening in surprise.

He scrubbed a hand over his mouth and began to smirk, taking in the man he towered over by a foot. He began to laugh as he raised his own fists.

"You asked for it, shorty." he chuckled as the pair began to circle one another.

Wide eyed, Elena gaped up at the fight from her place on the ground. The man in the jumpsuit had a death wish. There was no way he could possibly win against that hulk!

Though Mac was only 5'7" he acted like a man twice that size. Confident and controlled, the boxer circled the other man, picking his shots.

The mugger swung a vicious hook at Mac. He ducked it at the last second, popping back up with another jab to the thug's mouth.

He staggered backwards, eyes widening in surprise. They began to constrict and his temper started to rise. He took another swing and was again thwarted as Mac ducked again.

The boxer turned, nailing the larger man in the side with a hook before backing off again.

The thug let out a yell, more in anger than pain, and changed for the boxer. He began to swing wildly, shots coming from all angles. And somehow the boxer managed to duck or block every one.

"Go, Mac baby!" Doc cheered on his protégé, arms waving over his head.

Elena found herself watching on in awe as the small man neatly maneuvered about the park, easily dodging the mugger's blows. He would come back with a jab or a hook and it wasn't long until blood started steaming from the thug's nose and his left eye began to form a mouse.

The longer the fight went on, the angrier the mugger became. And the angrier he became, the sloppier he became.

His swings became uncontrollably and Mac was able to avoid each hit. He came back with another jab to the nose, a hook to the gut and finally finished with an upper cut to the chin.

The thug's eyes rolled back into his head and went crashing backwards onto the dirt. Mac regarded him with constricted eyes, fists still up and at the ready. It wasn't long before the mugger let out a groan, rolling onto his side.

He eventually staggered to his feet and took off for the bushes. The boxer started to go for him but thought better of it and turned his attention back to the woman.

She was staring up at him with wide eyes, still in shock over everything that had happened.

Mac made his way over to her, gently helping her up. Elena was floored by how careful he was being with her. A complete contrast to the brutality he had dealt out to the mugger just minutes before.

Without thinking he began to pick the leaves out of her long, straight, sandy brown hair, again catching the writer by surprise.

"You were amazing." she breathed, earning a smirk from the boxer.

"He didn't hurt you too bad, did he?" Mac asked as he forced himself to stop, lowering his hands. But it was hard. Her hair had been like silk between his fingers.

"No." Elena ducked her head, suddenly feeling shy.

She couldn't help it; he was looking at her so intently. Nobody had ever looked at her quite like that before. Well except for Douglas.

"You didn't hurt your hands, didja, kid?" Doc asks as he approached the pair.

Elena quickly looked up at the boxer, instantly worried, "You didn't hurt yourself, did you?"

She would feel horrible if he had injured himself trying to help her.

Mac took in the concern in her warm eyes and began to grin, "Naw. My grandmother hits harder than that guy."

Douglas staggered to his feet, spitting out the blood in his mouth before making his way over to the trio. He took hold of Elena's arm, instantly drawing her to his side and away from the boxer. Mac regarded the other man closely, not liking how touchy-feely he was with the girl.

He immediately checked his jealousy. He had no reason to be, after all. Clearly they were a couple.

"Yeah, thanks for your help." the agent stated, arm coming around Elena's shoulders, "Well if you'll excuse us I think it's best we leave."

He started to drag the writer off when she slipped out from under his arm and returned to the pair.

"Douglas, wait." she called over her shoulder before turning her attention back to Mac and Doc, "Honestly, I can't repay you enough. The-there has to be something that I can do."

Her eyes lit up and she began to grin, "Please, I would be honored if you two would be my guests for dinner tomorrow night at _Chez Rouge_."

"Sounds good." Doc jumped at it while Douglas tried to interject, "Now, Elena, let's not be hasty."

Elena ignored her agent, giving Mac her full attention, "I would really appreciate it. Please say yes."

"_Chez Rouge_?" Mac repeated with a raised eyebrow, clearly intimidated, "That place is kinda pricy. We can't ask you to-"

"Never mind the boy." Doc gave Elena a warm smile, "We would be delighted. Say around seven o'clock?"  
"Yes." Elena beamed up at him, "I look forward to it."

"Us, too." Doc gave her a wink, earning a giggle from the writer.

Mac found himself grinning like a dope at the sound. He couldn't help himself; it was sweet and infectious.

"Well, uh," he glanced down at the ground, kicking absently at a stray pebble, "We, uh, should be going."

Elena's smile slowly faded and she, too, looked to the ground, "Oh, sure. Sure, I understand. It's getting late, after all."

Doc looked back and forth between the pair, a knowing gleam in his eye. Douglas, too, regarded them closely but he did so with a frown.

"Until seven." Elena nodded, giving Mac another smile.

"Yeah." the boxer took a few slow steps back, "See you tomorrow night."

And with that he turned and began to make his way back up the trail. Doc gave Elena another wink before hurrying after.

The writer looked after them with a small smile, the young woman thoughtful.

Doc collected his bike and hurried to catch up with the younger man.

"So why did you run out of there like your pants were on fire, kid?" the trainer questioned as they made their way back up the path.

"I don't think it's a good idea." Mac expressed as he slipped his hands into the pockets of his jumpsuit, his eyes on his feet.

"Never say 'no' to a free meal." Doc stated, grin growing, "Especially at a place like _Chez Rouge_."

He added with a wink, "Plus the girl was cute."

Mac came to a dead stop, glaring up at the man, "Yeah and she's out of my league."

"She sure didn't seem to think she was out of your league." Doc tried to encourage him.

"She was just bein' nice." the boxer scoffed.

He once again began walking, his anger starting to build, "Besides, she's got a boyfriend."

"Trust me, Mac baby," Doc hurried to keep up with him, the older man beginning to pant a little, "That guy wasn't her boyfriend."

"Even if he wasn't," Mac glanced at him sideways, "It doesn't matter. I don't need the distraction right now. Not with my fight against Hippo comin' up."

He stopped again, wheeling around on the bigger man, "I would have figured you'd agree."

The trainer paused, shrugging, "I see how hard you've been training. Besides, it's not gonna kill you to go out and have a good meal once and awhile."

Mac slowly began to smirk, "You just wanna eat at that fancy joint."

"I didn't say I didn't." Doc laughed and the pair began walking again.

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Elena and Douglas entered her hotel suite some time later that night. As the writer stepped into the room and she practically glided across the floor, a small smile on her lips as she thought back on the night.

Douglas trailed behind her, brows knit in worry.

"You should have just paid them and been done with it." he grumbled as he took a seat in one of the wing backed chairs in the sitting room.

Elena removed her wrap, draping it over the other chair before turning back to him, "That would have been a little impersonal, don't you think? Not to mention insulting."

A soft smile touched her lips, "Besides, they seemed very nice."

Douglas regarded her suspiciously, "I don't trust them. Especially the one in the pink jumpsuit. He was practically animalistic. I don't even think he's housebroken."

"Oh, Doug, stop." Elena waved his worries away as she wandered over to the doors that led out to the balcony.

She placed her hand against one of the panes of glass, staring out over the twinkling lights of the city.

She had to admit that there was something almost. . .feral about the man. The way he disposed of that mugger, with such prowess and tightly leashed control, was almost hypnotic.

She had never met a man like that before and she had to admit she had been drawn to him.

But it was more than that. She couldn't get over how absolutely gentle he had been with her afterwards. How careful he had been when he had helped her up. How considerate he had been when he had picked the leaves from her hair.

Her soft smile grew. Not to mention he was quite handsome in a rugged way. He had the most beautiful, unique teal blue eyes she had ever seen.

She blinked, suddenly coming out of her thoughts, as she felt a hand on her shoulder. Elena turned around to find Douglas staring down at her warily.

"Yes?" she asked, casually moving away from him.

If he noticed her need to put distance between them he didn't say anything about it. He simply put his hands on his hips, studying her.

"I hope you know what you're doing." he told her.

"Doug, it's just dinner." she gave him a good-natured smile, "Just a way to say 'thank you'. It's the very least I can do, considering."

The agent looked around the room with narrowed eyes, wheel in his mind turning. At long last he nodded, seemingly accepting her decision.

"I suppose you're right." he stated, offering her a charming grin.

He checked his watch and sighed, resigned, "And it's growing late. I guess I should say goodnight."

"Goodnight." Elena told him as she led him to the door, "And thank you, again, for everything. I owe you so much, Douglas."

The agent chuckled down at her, "You don't owe me anything, Elena. You got yourself here, believe me."

She opened the door and he stepped outside, turning back to her. He leaned against the door jam, gazing tenderly down at her.

"So I guess I'll see you tomorrow." he murmured.

"Yes." the writer's grin brightened, "For dinner."

Douglas straightened, immediately sobering, "Yeah. Dinner. See you then."

"Goodnight." And with that the writer closed the door.

The agent's smile instantly twisted into a sneer. Seething, he turned and stormed off down the hallway.

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That night, high above in the offices of the World Videogame Boxing Association headquarters, a lone window was lit up.

Seated in their plush office chair, behind their large, mahogany desk, decked out within a lavish office, a solitary figure sat watching a computer monitor.

Their eyes were unwavering as they took in a recent fight.

Disco Kid vs. WVBA's newest fighter, the self proclaimed 'Little' Mac.

The figure smirked, well the name wasn't wrong.

_On the screen Disco Kid threw a looping hook. 'Little' Mac easily ducked it, coming back with a six jab combination._

_ The taller man staggered back, eyes going a bit glassy. He quickly shook off the blows and came right back, trying another sweeping hook._

_ Big mistake as Mac once again answered with another six jab combination to Kid's jaw, followed by four hooks to the other man's gut._

_ Kid once again staggered back, trying to shake the cobwebs away. He began to grin, striking his trademark disco pose._

_ And that appeared to be his undoing. Mac suddenly let loose with his patented Three Star Punch. _

_ He hit the other man square in the jaw with it and suddenly Kid was spinning around like a top-or ballet dancer-as he spun around the ring, hitting almost every ring post before delicately falling to the canvas for a TKO._

_ 'Little' Mac began to grin, looking around the crowd with green gloved fist raised. He looked to his other fist and something entered his eyes._

The figure's grin grew. They knew that look clearly. Had seen it in the eyes of the millions of fighters who had entered the WVBA. But none so intense as it was in the eyes of the young man on the monitor.

It was the look of pure, unadulterated, absolute hunger.

Inhaling, the figure kicked back in their chair, their mind beginning to formulate a plan. This kid, this 'Little' Mac, could be a great commodity.

A great commodity indeed. . .

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_** Next time Mac and Doc meet Elena and Douglas for dinner. Will boxer and author grow closer or will her agent find a way to come between them?**_


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